From great new initiatives, necessary explorations of tough issues and invaluable resources, see the best of what the world had to offer in 2018

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Whether you are happily shutting the door on 2018 or gearing up to take on the year to come, now is the time to look back and remember all the good parts that got us through this year.

|t has been a year of change, resistance and innovation.

During all the political turmoil, humanitarian crises and plain shitty occurrences that 2018 gifted us. It is easy to forget that it has been a year of never seen before advances in the fields of money, tech, science, and careers. The world is changing, and it is incredible to watch.

Here is a roundup of our favorite Now & Beyond articles that helped us survive 2018.

Women are usually left out of our history books, their accomplishments forgotten and their existences wiped out. We’re taught time and time again about the powerful men of the past, the warriors who fought bravely. Always assuming that women have never had a place in the battlefield. This year, through recent DNA analysis, we were able to verify that not only were female Vikings an actual thing, but they were also revered in their communities.

It’s proof that there has never been anything that a woman can’t do. Read more.

It’s easy to admit that most of us at The Tempest are self-confessed astronomy nerds.

I mean, what is better than watching celestial objects and phenomena occur. It’s nice to know that there is something out there, some beautiful things that we have no power over. We humans cannot influence or ruin them. (For now anyway).

2018 was blessed with so many opportunities to stop and watch the universe around us. From the Perseid Meteor shower to the blue moon, this year has shown us the beauty that lies beyond. We cannot wait to see what 2019 brings us. Read more.

As a desi, who has spent most of her life in the UK, I almost forget how clever my ancestors were.

There is a perception that the west is the bank of knowledge and my people are “backward.” I’m ashamed that I spend so much of my youth ignoring the traditions my mother tried to teach in fear of being teased about them. This listicle goes through many desi cultural traditions and explains the science behind them, because yes, there is logic and fact behind these things.

From sleeping directions to bangles and mehendi, it turns out everything has a reason. Read more.

We can easily find a pick-me-up article on following our passions and be motivated, but then what? Well, in this piece, Arushi helps you solidify that “then what”.

Telling someone to follow their passion is great, but we tend to lack the how and an understanding of the everyday struggles that come with it. This article helps you stop and think about how to go about it, where to start, and what to do in order to actually follow your passion.

If 2018 was your year of making some groundbreaking decisions to follow your passion, then 2019 is your year to actually get things done and maybe even enjoying the journey along the way! Read more to know how you can map your path out!

All of us have gotten rejected somehow, whether in our careers or personal lives.

And if we haven’t, as Dawn says, we may not be reaching far enough or challenging ourselves much. And that means stagnancy and lack of growth.

Growth is amazing, but not without the struggle of rejection. And no matter who you are, rejection sucks. Taking the time to mourn it, accept it, and learn from it before getting back into it makes all the difference. Here’s to our readers becoming better with each rejection in 2019. Read more.

The typical entrepreneur story seems to look like this: A cis-gendered, straight white man in a suit, walking into a boardroom of investors with a great slide deck. After killing that presentation and wow-ing them, he is shaking hands, kicking ass, and taking names.

Yeah, let’s back up. Today’s entrepreneur is looking less white, still a little more cis-gender straight male than it needs to, and not always all that confident and successful.

“Nevertheless, she persisted”, right? Mashal’s incredibly honesty story speaks to many women about that gut-punching thing called imposter syndrome. Read more about what the non-traditional entrepreneur really looks like.

Besides the chaos and endless stream of memes that have made 2018 what it was, another stand out trend featured nostalgia. We saw remake after remake of our favorite 80s and 90s television shows and songs, 90’s fashion trends reared its head once again, and we got a dose of technological throwbacks.

In this piece author, Jesse Shamon explores the phenomenon of tech nostalgia, and how during times of turmoil we all turned to the past for escape. Read more and explore her questions of what exactly we’re escaping from in our technological future, the answer could save us all one day.

The New Year always brings dreams of more financial stability and prosperity, but for some of us, it’s not that easy. In a capitalist world, black folk will always face challenges due to a history of slavery and our ties to our roots. Afrocentricity keeps us tied to our heritage and those old ways of life just don’t mesh well with a rigid, capitalist society. Read more on Smith’s honest and thought-provoking take on what’s normally just deemed as black laziness.

I’m just going to say it, I miss the Obama’s!!! And I especially miss Michelle Obama. In this story, we hear the amazing tale of how a little encouragement pushed our author to new heights. From traveling across the world helping every community we touch, challenging gender roles in society, and taking ourselves to new heights, this piece has it all. You’ll definitely want to read more because this is the exact energy we want to take into 2019, now and beyond.